Lake Placid’s Aidan Fay races past Saranac’s Andrew Denial on the seventh lap of the 3,200 to win the race during the Section VII state qualifiers event in Saranac Lake on May 31. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)

SARANAC LAKE — With one final shot to qualify for the state meet, three local athletes from the Lake Placid and Saranac Lake track and field teams punched their ticket to the NYSPHSAA state championships on May 31 at the Saranac Lake High School track.

The Red Storm track team will send Jake Kollmer and Liam Nobles to the state meet. Lake Placid will send Aidan Fay. All three qualified after winning their respective events at the Section VII State Qualifiers this past Friday.

The NYSPHSAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place at the Cicero-North Syracuse High School on Friday and Saturday.

After Fay fell to Saranac’s Andrew Denial in the Section VII championships last week, the junior pulled past Denial on the seventh lap of the 3,200 meter and never let up, securing his ticket to the state meet in a personal best 9:44.72. Denial placed second in 9:49.36.

Kollmer qualified for the state after winning the 1,600-meter and the 800 event. Nobles picked up wins in the long jump and triple jump and Fay won the 3,200 meter event.

Lake Placid’s Ethan Cash, left, competes in the 4x400-meter relay event, while teammate Kai McKinnon cheers him on during the Section VII state qualifiers event in Saranac Lake on May 31. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)

Nobles won the triple with a leap of 43-10.25 and the long jump with 21-04.5. Lake Placid’s Jesse Marshall finished fourth in the triple jump with a personal best leap of 38-05.0.

Kollmer won the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 25.30 seconds, with Lake Placid’s Fay (4:33.27) finishing in second and Beekmantown’s Nolan Laidman (4:36.65) in third.

Kollmer capped of the day by edging out Seton Catholic’s Aiden Pearl (2:05.20) in 800 by 0.32 seconds. He finished in 2:04.70. The Blue Bombers’ Ethan Cash was fourth in 2:15.92 in that event and Red Storm teammate Sam Bickford was seventh in 2:26.10.

Lake Placid’s 4×400-meter relay team of Cash, Fay, Marshall and Jim Guglielmi had a strong showing, placing second in 3:58.48.

The state qualifier event also showcased Saranac Lake’s new steeplechase. The Blue Bombers’ Cash was the only local athlete to take part in the boys 3,000 steeplechase competition. The senior placed third overall in 12:03.13.

Lake Placid’s Kai McKinnon leads teammate Holly Erenstone during the 1,500 event during the Section VII state qualifiers event in Saranac Lake on May 31. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)

On the girls side, the Lake Placid’s Kai McKinnon was the lone local competitor in the girls 2,000 steeplechase, placing second overall in 8:16.52.

McKinnon also finished the 1,500 in fourth place in 5:32.56, with Blue Bomber teammate Holly Erenstone trailing behind for fifth at 5:52.54.

On the throws side, Lake Placid’s Lily Fisher placed seventh with a throw of 26-05.00.

The Blue Bombers rounded out the meet with a fourth place finish from Clara Boutelle (1:07.20) in the 400 and a fourth place finish from the 4×100 relay team of Fisher, Ashe Gagnon, Mya Marshall and Alexandria Smith in 57.55.